Allnic L4000 and H3000
- Thread starter Gregadd
- Start date
I had been monitoring the designs of phono preamps for years. It caught my attention that some of the most expensive and exotic specialty phono preamps of the "gurus", borrowed from the relentless DIY world, used lots of transformer coupling. I already had some Wavac amps that I really liked, based on the Shishido circuits.
I trolled for transformer coupled phonos, came across Allnic 1500 in an ebay auction. I did not bid on the auction, but looked up what I could find about the Allnic products, which at that time were not being offered in North America.
At that time, the Allnics were all 220v for Europe.
I paid attention to what little information there was about Allnic and saw the kinds of designs that I was looking for generally.
Finally bought a demo Allnic H 1500 from a local guy who got it from Highwater sound with US voltages.
I loved it, liked it much better than my Manley Steelhead. I determined to get the H 3000 when I could.
I wrote a review of the H 3000 on Audiogon a few years ago, and then became a kind of "subscriber" to the various product offerings, which were now being offered in 120V configurations through David Beetles and Hammertone Audio in Canada.
Now: Allnic Verito, H 3000 phono, L 5000 Directly Heated triode preamp, and finally the HA 2500 phono head amp.
I have the best sound ever in my system, exceeding my expectations and much exceeding what I considered the "limitations" of my system i.e. room, amps, speakers etc., all because the source was vastly improved through the Allnic chain.
I trolled for transformer coupled phonos, came across Allnic 1500 in an ebay auction. I did not bid on the auction, but looked up what I could find about the Allnic products, which at that time were not being offered in North America.
At that time, the Allnics were all 220v for Europe.
I paid attention to what little information there was about Allnic and saw the kinds of designs that I was looking for generally.
Finally bought a demo Allnic H 1500 from a local guy who got it from Highwater sound with US voltages.
I loved it, liked it much better than my Manley Steelhead. I determined to get the H 3000 when I could.
I wrote a review of the H 3000 on Audiogon a few years ago, and then became a kind of "subscriber" to the various product offerings, which were now being offered in 120V configurations through David Beetles and Hammertone Audio in Canada.
Now: Allnic Verito, H 3000 phono, L 5000 Directly Heated triode preamp, and finally the HA 2500 phono head amp.
I have the best sound ever in my system, exceeding my expectations and much exceeding what I considered the "limitations" of my system i.e. room, amps, speakers etc., all because the source was vastly improved through the Allnic chain.
Last edited:
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Co-Owner, Administrator
This could almost be the topic of a new thread.
Does one achieve better sound by using components from the same manufacturer through the listening chain?
I wouldn't necessarily go as far to say that it's a rule, but it does make a lot of sense. There are bound to be synergies when using several components from one manufacturer. Although, just to play devil's advocate, one might also argue that if a manufacturer has a "house sound", then using multiple components from that manufacturer could actually make matters worse as weach compnent adds its own colourations.
Dave is a great guy and, much to my surprise, lives literally 5 minutes from my house!
Anybody who has seen my system knows that it is eclectic to the extreme, with mostly out of productions components, everything from DHT triodes to transistors (Accuphase analog crossover) and DSP (surround and bass equalization).
I can't estimate whether "brand purity" leads to a significant improvement or not overall, I have willy nilly spliced in whatever I thought would produce a particular type of result.
I think that I go back and forth between being "source" oriented and "output" oriented i.e. speakers, amps etc. like a lot of audiophiles. However, I have new respect for the power of sources and preamps with the Allnic gear, much of which has been birthed from the arcane alchemy of the DIY and audiophile societies.
I can't estimate whether "brand purity" leads to a significant improvement or not overall, I have willy nilly spliced in whatever I thought would produce a particular type of result.
I think that I go back and forth between being "source" oriented and "output" oriented i.e. speakers, amps etc. like a lot of audiophiles. However, I have new respect for the power of sources and preamps with the Allnic gear, much of which has been birthed from the arcane alchemy of the DIY and audiophile societies.
I was very sorry to hear about Dave's grave misfortune, a "near miss" in terms of survival. I hope he recovers soon.
Me too. I spoke with him a few minutes ago and he is on the mend, but still very weak. I said that I'd pop in to see him later this week, and mentioned this forum to him. Hopefully he'll join.
Me too. I spoke with him a few minutes ago and he is on the mend, but still very weak. I said that I'd pop in to see him later this week, and mentioned this forum to him. Hopefully he'll join.
I've recently spoken to David and the strength and energy of his voice has returned, he's once again filled with the hope and joy that he's famous for.
On the topic of Allnic, David told me about an upgrade for the L-4000 (L-3000) that's reported to increase both dynamics and bandwidth. I placed an order for the transformer kit and will perform the work and test once it arrives.
"On the topic of Allnic, David told me about an upgrade for the L-4000 (L-3000) that's reported to increase both dynamics and bandwidth. I placed an order for the transformer kit and will perform the work and test once it arrives. "
Dynamics and bandwith are two of its strong points. It will be amazizing if he can make it better.
Dynamics and bandwith are two of its strong points. It will be amazizing if he can make it better.
Yep. I helped him upgrade his L-3000 a few days ago. The upgrade involves replacing a pair of transformers with ones that are about 30% bigger, and replacing a capacitor/resistor pair. A relatively straight forward job if you have a steady hand and are handy with a soldering iron.
I came home from that little visit with an H-3000 (which I've just started playing with), and a pair of M-3000 monoblocks (both on loan, natch!).
Yep. I helped him upgrade his L-3000 a few days ago. The upgrade involves replacing a pair of transformers with ones that are about 30% bigger, and replacing a capacitor/resistor pair. A relatively straight forward job if you have a steady hand and are handy with a soldering iron.
I came home from that little visit with an H-3000 (which I've just started playing with), and a pair of M-3000 monoblocks (both on loan, natch!).
I sure would like to read your opinion on that once you've had a chance to listen.
Sure (but which one?)! I put the H-3000 in my system just yesterday, so it needs to be broken in. The M-3000s aren't being used just yet.
Oh, OK. I'm reviewing another amp at the moment, so The M-3000s will have to wait a bit. To be honest, I think Dave was trying to clear some room in his living room; I was only too happy to oblige!
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